EMGS formally announces Randy Jirtle as the 2019 recipient of the Alexander Hollaender Award. Randy is a friend of ISCAST having visited us (the ISCAST Vic committee and Mark Worthing in Adelaide) about this time last year. He is a leading researcher in genomics, particularly in environmental mutagenesis, the process whereby the environment can affect the expression of genes and phenotypic traits in living things. We congratulate him on receiving the 2019 Alexander Hollaender Award. |
Interview with Francis Collins on Gene Editing of Embryos In their new podcast "Language of God," BioLogos has conducted an interview with Francis Collins regarding science, christianity, and gene editing. During the section in which gene editing was discussed, Collins said: |
Call for science and theology papers for NZ July conference Our friends in New Zealand have advised us of the Science and Theology track at the upcoming ANZATS conference in New Zealand from July 1 to 3. Nicola Hoggard Creegan (who some ISCASTians will have met at COSAC 2018) is coordinating the stream and would love to have submissions.
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ISCAST patron, Prof. Graeme Clark, wins another prestigious international award, the Shambaugh Prize Press release from The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital congratulates Professor Graeme Clark, AC who was recently announced as the joint winner of the prestigious Shambaugh Prize. One of the most highly respected science prizes in the world, the Shambaugh Prize recognizes a remarkable work in the field of Otology and related basic research. Professor Clark is the first Australian to have been awarded the prize. |
Want to live longer? Consider the ethics "Life extension – using science to slow or halt human aging so that people live far longer than they do naturally – may one day be possible. "Big business is taking this possibility seriously. In 2013 Google founded a company called Calico to develop life extension methods, and Silicon Valley billionaires Jeff Bezos and Peter Thiel have invested in Unity Biotechnology, which has a market cap of US$700 million. Unity Biotechnology focuses mainly on preventing age-related diseases, but its research could lead to methods for slowing or preventing aging itself. |
Evolution Wars Sociologist Tom Aechtner on why complexity is better than conflict and how we change our minds. Tom Aechtner was a speaker at this year's COSAC and Dr Natasha Moore (from the Centre for Public Christianity) recorded this interview with him there. In the interview, Tom tackles the vital and very current problem of, "...mass persuasion, why we believe and disbelieve things and how we can get past pointing fingers and yelling at each other." |
Evolving biology and theology in Eltham Tim and Lyn Beattie are friends of ISCAST who have taken the initiative to organise a number of "science and religion" events in their part of Melbourne. Tim reports here on the latest event: |
Videos from COSAC 2018 Some talks and lectures were live-streamed on the ISCAST Facebook page during COSAC 2018. What a wealth of fascinating talks! |
Human embryo CRISPR advances science but let's focus on ethics, not world firsts Following early reports last week that scientists had edited the DNA of human embryos, American researchers have now published their much anticipated paper in the journal Nature. |
Jane Goodall: on humans, animals and the indomitable spirit Dr Jane Goodall, renowned humanitarian and conservationist, ‘the chimp lady’, and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, visited Australia to share her dream of a world where people, animals and the environment all coexist in a sustainable future. |